News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-01-06
WHITE HOUSE DINNERS.
THE VARIOUS PRESIDENTS AS
PUBLIC ENTERTAINER q. 4

Monster Cheese-Dipb ,macv and
GastronOmy.
The table of the Presf lent bos much
to do with the success of his administra-
tion, writes Frank G.. G arnenter in lin
pinc0tt. A dinner in 7g6 cons1mTnated
the bargain which esuIte5 in bringing
the Capital to Washi' lgton ten wears later
and from tn at time TO this tbe dinners Of
the White House nave been powerful
factor In the con irmation of nominations
ana In the fIdoT tion of lines of Presiden-
lIaI Eoacy' IA Jefferson's time Mr.. Mer-
~, tke MI 1isT -er from England, made the
S1m Aalnt u lat the President had taken
NJ. mrs Mad' Son, rather than his wife, on
MS arm the dinner table the subject
VI serlous correspondence with his gov
erhneht and in the days of Jackson the
whole OF the country was thrown into a
turmoil of social discussion because the
Preslde NIT persisted in making Peggy Ea-
ton' I'd r. daughter of q tavern Keeper.
VINO As now the wife of the Secretary
Oh w Lr;, his most honored quest. Cen
eral Washington entertained very freely
OeIo ne he became President, and the milk
u hle hundred COWS was not enough to
su Pply the butter used at his Mount YER
ON home. He was more economical
BILE, and George Washington Parke Cus-
tbs relates how severely he lectured his
steward on the evils of extravaganza in
looking over his expense accounts,
| which he made him present to him
weekly. Both John Adams and Thom-
as Jefferson were light eaters and both
rose at dawn or before. President JEFF
1erson's breakfast was made up of tea and
coffee, warm bread, and sometimes a
lrCtle cold meat At dinner he ate meat
ana large amount of vegetables. The
| private table of John Adams was plain.
ms lnyariable luacheon being oat-cake
and lemonade, His state dinners are
sald 10 nave been sumptuous and numer-
GUS, and 1t wsss he who gave the first
\ state dinner ever eaten in the White
/ House. President Madison's adm1nis-
tration was the reign of the neerless
Dolly Madison, who was more of a foure
at state dinners than the President him
| sell. Mrs. Madison sat at the head of the
table, one OF the Presidents secretaries
at the loot, and the President himself in
the middle. AT Jackson's farewell re-
ceptlon monster cheese as bio as a
hogSnead IN circumference and nearly
yard tnlck, was cut with saw blades
made into knives and. served out to the
guests. Each guest eceived three pounds
of cheese. The event was the talk of the
nation, and when Van Buren became
President his New York friends, emu
IatlVe Oh JACKSON, sent him a big cheese.
IL was cut l1p in the East Room. Pres
loenG liar dson did his own marketing,
ana ne '@as out for this purpose when
ne De came wet and caught the cold
"nlr>h terminated in his death. He rose
ea'1y and went to market before break
last, walking in the cold spring air with
I out an overcoat. He was light eater,
and was not glutton as has been
charged. President Taylor's death was
also connected with his eating. He died
OF cholera morbus on the 9Th of july.
| 1901, On the 4th of July he attended
the laying of the cornerstone of the
| Washington Monument The dav was
! warm, and when he returned to the
| White House in profuse Precipitation he
ate heartily of cherries, washing them
| down with iced milk. An hour later
he was seized with cramps, and five
days later he died. All of the Presidents,
with the exception of Hayes and Gar
field, have been accustomed to serving
wine with their meals. President Arthur
had many fine wines, and it has been es-
timated that the cost of his wine at a
State dinner was equal to one-third the
cost of whole dinner. At General
! Grants great dinners there were six Wine
glasses placed at each plate, and in the
middle of the feast a frozen punch was
served. The earlier Presidents had to
pay all the expenses of the White House,
and few of them left the White House as
well off as when they entered it. Presi-
dent Tyler had to pay for the lighting
of even the street lamps outside the
White House grounds, and the fires and
the lights were charged to him. Had he
not sold some Virginia lands he would
have been unable to leave Washington.
Andrew Jackson spent his whole salary
and So, 600 of a cotton crop to maintain his
! hospitality. James Buchanan spent more
than his salary in entertaining. Presi-
dent Grant spent the whole of his salary
! In the White House. He entertained Law
ishly, and from twelve to thirty courses
were served at his State dinners. Pota-
toes and cream was a favorite dish of
President Garfield, and he ate this when
he could eat nothing else. His dinner,
which was much the same as his break
fast, he ate at 3 O'clock. At 7P. NJ he
took tea, and this meal was also a very
light one. President Arthur ate but two
meals day-a light breakfast between
nine and ten in the morning and very
light dinner in the evening. His break
fast was a cup of coffee and a cracker,
with perhaps piece of salt fish. His
! dinners began between eight and nine in
the evening and the guests often sat at
them until midnight. President Arthur
seldom ate without having some invited
guests at his table. A very pretty feature
of President Cleveland's state dinners
appeared in the form of a souvenir laid
at the side of each guests plate. This
was a rich white satin ribbon about
three inches wide and half yard long.
On one end of this ribbon there was
beautiful steel engraving of the White
House, and on the opposite end, painted
in water colors, were the name of the
guest and the date of the dinner Presi-
| dent Cleveland's dinners usually last
two hours, and they comprise a great
number of courses. The Presidents
daily dinner consists of five or six
courses; first there is a soup, then fish,
then roast, followed by game, dessert,
fruit, and, after dinner, coffee. He does
not sit long at table, and Immediately on
leaving it he goes up into the corridors
of the second story of the White House
and smokes cigar, after which he goes
beck to his work.
nanffStrv for IIorSnc